The Baroness Misbehaves
Chapter 181: Trapped Under Anxiety (1)

Chapter 181: Trapped Under Anxiety (1)

When it clocked 10pm at night, Madeline could feel her chest pounding repeatedly as she approached the huge main gate of the palace Cassian had told her about. The night air was relatively cold, and Madeline could hear the leaves rustle as she hid behind the shadows of a tree.

Taking a deep breath, she paused and adjusted the military uniform she had put on, at the same time, she fixed her helmet in place to make sure not even a single strand of her hair was exposed. During her conversation with Cassian, the young lad gave her the idea of dressing more like a military guard since His Majesty was expecting some of them tonight, and the risk wouldn’t be as tough as coming in as a royal guard.

Knowing this, Madeline had no other alternative but to agree.

To complete her dressing, she picked a black handkerchief she had tucked at the belt of her military trouser, tying it to her nose and mouth in the form of a nose mask. Before leaving the house, she noticed no matter how hard she dressed, her feminine face always gave her away, so in order to fix it, she came up with the idea of using the handkerchief as a nose mask, since most guards tend to have a pessimistic disposition concerning this type of things, Madeline couldn’t think of any better idea than this.

"You can do this." She encouraged herself in a soft cheering whisper.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Madeline opened her eyes and stepped out of the shadows. She quietly made her way towards the big main gate of the palace building, and the closer she got to the gate, the more she realized there was no one standing on guard at the main gate, which was against the palace rules.

"Why is it..."

"Stop there!" A guard who followed her from behind suddenly shouted. To stay alert, the guard brought out his weapon as he approached Madeline who had frozen in her spot upon hearing the harshness in his tone. Reassuring herself that the guard might have mistaken her for an intruder which she was, Madeline put on her best baritone voice, trying to channel her inner man, and the anxiety on her face vanished.

"What’s the problem?" She asked, affecting a rough tone as she turned around to look at the unfamiliar guard that stood before her.

The guard eyed her suspiciously before giving her a once-over. "What unit are you from?"

Madeline racked her brain, trying her very best to remember what Cassian had told her to say in case she was asked something like this. Being in his shoes, Madeline would be sure to credit his intelligence regarding things like this. Pretending to be what you’re not isn’t as easy as she imagined it would be.

"I’m from the 6th battalion, his Majesty will be sure to give you a better answer if you doubt me." She said confidently, hoping her idea to mention his Majesty would check out, and fortunately, it did as she watched the guard nod his head at her response, looking satisfied as he lowered his sword.

"Alright, carry on then."

Madeline breathed out in relief when the guard stepped aside, letting her pass through the gate. As she entered, the guard’s gaze still lingered on the new military guard as she made her way in, wondering if this was one of the guards His Majesty had recruited in replacement of those that were already dead.

Each time they were out of guards, the Duke offered help to recruit more able-bodied military men to his Majesty, but this particular guard.....

From the new guards statue, he doubts this guard would be able to handle those Fiends without passing out in the middle of the fight.

Inside the palace, Madeline hid her inner joy of having made it past the gate, knowing there was still a lot more she had to do in order to get to Cassian. Keeping herself focused, she made her way through the twists and turns of the palace, trying to remember the exact direction Cassian had made her memorize while she was with him.

As she rounded a corner, her eyes fixed themselves on the traveling bag she had snuck and hid in the palace when she made her second visit earlier today.

With no one at sight, Madeline bent to pick up her traveling bag from behind the curtains. Hanging it on one of her shoulders, she turned to continue her way down the corridor when she bumped into someone, making her stagger back due to the impact and nearly losing her balance.

"Watch where you’re going." A feminine voice that belonged to Queen Theresa, said with a scowl, her eyes hovering on her face for a moment before darting away.

Madeline tensed at the unexpected sight of Queen Theresa, wondering what she was doing here? Surely she wouldn’t recognize her with all this disguise, right?

"I’m sorry." Madeline immediately bowed her head, making sure to keep the tone of her voice deep to avoid sending any suspicions her way.

To Make the situation worse, the young Queen was being escorted by three to four maidens flanking behind her, and that increased Madeline’s anxiety as her grip on her bag tightened in an attempt to control her nervousness.

If she’s caught, goodness knows what punishment she’ll receive this time.

Queen Theresa snorted as she eyed the guard in front of her, and funnily enough, the guard refused to raise his head to look at her. "I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around here before, and what is that thing you’re holding?" Her gaze shifted to the traveling bag the guard had hung on his shoulder, and Madeline dipped her head once more.

"I’m new to this unit, and His Majesty assigned new recruitments to replace the old guards, my Queen." Madeline swallowed hard, hoping the Queen wouldn’t press the issue.

"I see." Queen Theresa responded, sounding a little unconvinced. "You can raise your head, I need to see the new guard His Majesty had brought, and do not take my words to heart, but how did you even get into the military with this appearance?"

Queen Theresa definitely had eyes, the body of this guard looked nothing like the usual guards her husband would bring to the palace. The one in front of her looked more fragile and docile, the complete opposite of what a guard should look like.

"What is your name?"

Madeline’s mind raced. She had to come up with a convincing story, and fast. "I am...uh... Private...... Smith, My Queen."

"And what are you doing at this part of the palace?"